This was one dull poll to take! Kind of a lack luster, uninspiring field..not looking forward to ’14 ! (jeez, if Carmen Ortiz were actually the Dem nominee, I would have to go with Baker….with the strong women out there is she the best we could come up with!?)

Only one of our greatest health care heroes. Harvard Med School Prof and Creator (I believe) of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Great innovator in medical cost/quality. Went on to be recess-appointed to head of Medicare (CMS) but could only stay a year because the GOP filibustered his ass.

This is because they don’t actually care about efficiency and effectiveness in health care; they only care about using Medicare’s inefficiency against it to try to kill it. Or to scare old people. Or something. But they sure as hell don’t want it to work better.

But Don Berwick does. He’s a real thinker. A real politician? I have no idea. But he’s a good citizen-candidate type … like someone else you might know.

Berwick is arguably one of the top 2 or 3 most knowledgeable people in the country on health care policy. He led the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services but resigned after it became clear he would not be confirmed by the Repubs in the Senate. He is really fantastic, a progressive. I’m not sure 2014 will be a race about health care, though, so he faces an uphill battle.

John Avellone is a health care exec and former Wellesley selectman. I don’t know about his policy positions, but I can’t imagine his campaign going too far.

If Cap got it. If he goes in Curtatone stays out of the Gov race and likely runs for his seat, but who knows who else might go for it? The 98′ campaign had a lot of candidates. Keene, Gabrieli, John O’Connor, Ray Flynn and Clapprood of Clapprood and Whitley fame. I am sure the 2014 field would be quite contentious as well. Curtatone would be the obvious front runner, but a lot of different names could get in and do well.

Warren-Brown ended up in ‘single digits’ and it wasn’t really close. Or it could be within margin of error.

In any case, I’m not sure a poll this early means much given that one of the two candidates is a pretty big unknown to most of the electorate. I want to see Gomez under a state-wide spotlight and how well he handles that kind of pressure for a couple of weeks before I start believing that poll numbers are at all predictive.

It’s the day after your guy just lost the primary. You believed in him. Maybe he’s been your Congressmen for decades. Now that other guy is the nominee. In the other corner is some unknown who doesn’t seem to bad.

At what time would you be less likely to tell a pollster you’re with the other party? If Gomez can’t do well now, what’s his hope once people learn more about him?

Donald Berwick certainly isn’t a household name yet, but in the wide-open 2014 governor’s race, he’s a thoughtful and credible contender.

Part of Berwick’s story is reminiscent of Elizabeth Warren’s: He is a nationally known expert on healthcare cost and quality. In 2010, he was named by President Obama (in a recess appointment) as administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, but he resigned in 2011 when it became clear that Senate Republicans would block his confirmation.

While I wouldn’t claim that Donald Berwick could be another Elizabeth Warren, he does resemble Senator Warren in combining a broadly progressive world view with substantial policy expertise and experience.

Berwick is currently traveling the state on a listening tour. He’ll be speaking at a public meeting here in Beverly next Tuesday evening, and I’ll be interested to hear what he has to say. Depending on how the gubernatorial field shapes up – in particular, whether Mike Capuano gets into the race – Donald Berwick may turn out to be the candidate for progressives to watch.